Marina Go on publishing’s diversity problem: ‘I look back and it just hasn’t changed’
The media suffers from a lack of diverse thinking and recycles the same ‘blokes’ over and over again, company director and author Marina Go has told an audience of publishers.
“It’s not just women, it’s diversity,” Go told the audience during a session on leadership at Mumbrella’s Publish conference on Thursday. “The problem with media is diverse thinking, so there’s a lot of recycling of the same dare I say ‘blokes’. I sit outside the media and I look back and it just hasn’t changed. So that’s the challenge.”
Company director and author Marina Go, Storyation co-founder Lauren Quaintance, Pacific Magazines CEO Gereurd Roberts and Isentia CEO Ed Harrison
“I think it’s at the very top that there’s a problem,” continued Go. “There’s always been great women in the middle, great women coming through – in fact, if you look at the pyramid the bottom is always full of women – it’s just getting the women to the top that’s the problem.”
Go was joined on the panel by Storyation co-founder Lauren Quaintance, Pacific Magazines CEO Gereurd Roberts and Isentia CEO Ed Harrison.
Quaintance, who has previously worked in senior editorial roles at both Bauer and Fairfax, told the audience that the publishing industry is not lacking in opportunities for strong women: “I think of all the leaders I’ve had over time at Bauer and Fairfax, a lot of them have been women with a strong interest in both the commercial and editorial side of the business.”
However, confidence that they meet the criteria for a role is often a stumbling block for women, with Quaintance explaining: “This is a classic thing with female leaders, female executives, is that we don’t tend to apply for the jobs until we’re 100% sure we have the skills.
“It’s statistically proven that men will apply when they have 60% or 70% of the skills, while women will apply when they have 100% and they’re sure they’re going to get it. You have to put yourself forward for opportunities.”
Go agreed, adding: “There’s no point banging your head against a brick wall, or against a ceiling, male or female… there’s no point staying and moaning. You have to take control of your own career. If there’s a job you want, go and have a conversation with your CEO.”
Roberts: ‘It doesn’t matter what I think’
While Pac Mags CEO Gereurd Roberts believes his company is supportive of women, he conceded that if women don’t feel they’re being supported, it “doesn’t matter” what he thinks.
“75% of our workforce is female – the majority of our executive team is female,” he said. “I would like to think that we are supportive of women in the workplace and that they do feel the opportunity to progress.
“But the reality is that it doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is how they feel. And if women don’t feel that they’re being supported then we’ve got an issue. If we don’t see it, that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
“That’s the greatest risk, is someone saying ‘it didn’t happen to me’. It doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
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Unfortunately for Marina Go all the stats on diversity in media say otherwise. So dare I say she recycled a cliche to sell a few more books.
She looks back amd it hasn’t changed? Ummm. Unless you have a time machine…you cant change the past.
Amd here is an idea for my fellow females (oxymoronically)
Stop the man bashing. Start tour own businesses. Ans seee what quotas balnaces and skills you need. And then…and onky then youbwill realise..the so called patriarchy is a distant myth..
Most modern businesses know what to do.
Byeeeee
As someone who has worked with Marina in the past, and who has only great respect for her and her abilities, I do find her comments a bit disingenuous, as I watched as she had one great opportunity extended to her after another that many of us – male and female – never did. She had a very fortunate run and is one of the luckier ones in our game. Marina is very talented, but her comment about recycling of the same ‘blokes’ is just not accurate. Most of the men we worked with across those years are no longer in the mag business, but many, many of the same women are. If she is sharing her insights, it might help if she was a bit more accurate.
Every man working for an organisation should be deeply concerned when their CEO confesses “But the reality is that it doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is how [women] feel”.
An organisation either gives equal opportunities, according to objective criteria, and in the absence of adequate evidence to the contrary, or it doesn’t.
And leaders by definition put up their hand without needing to be 100% sure that their qualifications and experience are adequate.
How can you expect people to have the confidence to follow you into an uncertain future if you’ve prevaricated and required their re-assurance of your capabilities?
If you don’t believe in yourself why would others?